Past Into Present
by SecretArt
Summary: A face from the past surprises Sam in the form of Cassie's new friend
1. The Get Together

Title: Past into Present

Author: Secret Art

Date: 4th July 2004

Rating: PG

Category: romance, angst

Pairings: Sam/Jack, hinted Daniel/Janet

Spoilers: knowledge of who Cassie is,

Summary: A face from the past surprises Sam in the form of Cassie's new friend

Archive: where ever you want, I'm not fussy

Feedback: can only make me better

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author.

-----------------

Janet rushed around the kitchen, trying to ignore Daniel talking to himself whilst working on something, and get the food ready for the group gathering she had organised.

Cassie was watching TV with her new friend Emma, and Janet felt slightly sorry for the girl, having to meet Cassie's extended family, yet Janet couldn't help but feel that there was something about the girl, something familiar that made Janet feel that she would be ok.

---------------------

Jack pulled up beside Janet's house and Teal'c exited immediately, sick of the constant bickering between the other two passengers.

Jack watched him go before turning back to Sam. "At now we can argue about what swe are arguing about."

She glared at him, "we are not telling them about our engagement. Cassie has a friend over as well, and I'm not sure I want to trust a random stranger with a secret I'm not sure I'm ready to drop on our best friends. It's too dangerous." Hers eyes pleaded with him to understand what she was saying, to accept the reality of their situation.

He smiled, squeezing her hand gently. "We'll wait, for now. But we are going to have to tell them eventually."

She nodded, feeling in her pocket for the ring she had taken off when they had picked up Teal'c.

They got out of the car, walking to Janet's open door, Teal'c having been let in by Cassie.

They walked into the front room, smiling at the people already gathered.

Sam froze, staring at Cassie's friend.

Cassie, mistaking the shock for interest, rushed over, dragging her friend behind her. "Sam, Jack, this is my friend…"

"Emma!" Sam blurted out, receiving confused looks from everyone in the room.

Janet moved over, looking from Sam to Emma and then back again. "You two know each other?"

The question was aimed at Sam but it was Emma that answered. "Sam and my mum have been friends for years."

Sam winced slightly at the phrase before looking around to see if anyone noticed.

When it became apparent neither one was going to say anything else on the matter Janet decided that she should probably play hostess. "Anyone want a drink?"

There were murmurs of agreement and Janet started towards the kitchen, pausing when she felt Sam's hand on her shoulder.

"I'll get the drinks, you keep everyone entertained."

Receiving a nod and a concerned glance from Janet, Sam walked to the kitchen, her mind whirring, unable to process what she had just seen, her past and present colliding.

--------

They watched her go, surprised at her odd reaction to Emma.

Janet moved over to the young woman, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm surer it's nothing personal."

"It's just been so long since we last saw each other, we've both changed so much."

Jack hesitantly took a step forward, unsure of what to do. "Maybe I should go talk to her?"

Emma shook her head, smiling at the man. "No, I'll go. I know what is bothering her."

Watching her leave they share looks, confused as to what is happening, yet unwilling to open the can of worms.

---------

Sam paused, hearing movement behind her and turned to see Emma stood in the doorway.

"You want a hand with those?" She asked, pointing at the cups.

Sam smiled and moved over, giving Emma enough space to move next to her.

"So you're Cassie's amazing second mother."

Sam blushed, ducking her head and smiling slightly. "Story of my life."

Emma's smile faded, and she putdown the bottle of milk she had been holding and turned to face the older woman. "Mother's aren't just the women that bring you up, they can also be women that have great influence over you and of course, your biological mother."

Sam laughed, tilting her head towards Emma. "Isn't it normally the other way around?"

They both turned to the doorway as footsteps approached, followed by the appearance of Cassie in the doorway.

"Emma, you coming? The others want a chance to get to know you." She turned to Sam, trying to see what still needed to be done.

"I'll be fine. You two go ahead."

Cassie bounced back out of sight and Emma followed, pausing at the doorway.

"I don't consider you a second mother, you are my real mother. It wasn't your fault that you couldn't look after me, just like you couldn't look after Cassie because of your job." She sighed, looking straight into Sam's eyes. "You were too young, too ambitious to have given me a good life so you gave me the best gift of all, a normal family life." She turned and left, leaving Sam stood in the kitchen, pondering what had just been said.

------------

Sam took a deep breath before moving into the room, the tray of drinks held in front of her almost as a shield.

Pausing in the doorway she scanned the room, her eyes passing first over Daniel and Janet, talking quietly in the corner, to Teal'c, sat in an armchair, watching everyone else, and finally to Cassie, Emma and Jack, deep in discussion.

She caught Jack's eye and they shared a smile. Taking a deep breath she moved into the room, placing the tray of drinks on the table, the noise alerting everone of her pressence.

Picking up her own drink Sam noticed Cassie, silently pointing at her and glaring at Jack, and she shifted uncomfortably, her eyes going to Emma, who simply rolled her own, alleviating dome of the fear.

"Sam?" She turned to see Cassie, poking Jack in the arm. "Jack wants to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"alright, I'll ask her, just please stop poking me." Cassie stopped immediately, grinning as she stepped away from him.

He shifted uncomfortably under the combined gaze of Sam and Cassie before sighing. "We need your help to solve an argument. Who would win a fight…" he pointed at himself, "Homer…" and then at the girls, "or Marge."

Sam laughed, her tension from the last few minutes evaporating. "Well, Homer has the weight advantage yet Marge always seems brighter." She paused shaking her head in amusement at the way Jack smirked when she appeared to be on his side, and then the girls pulling tongues when she mention their 'side'. "Plus, in more than one episode Homer has appeared helpless without her. However Marge is quite Gentle, not getting violent often, where as Homer is quite a violent man." She paused again, this time blushing at the shocked faces in front of her. "Homer would probably win a physical fight, however I don't see either of them being willing to fight each other. Marge would win a mental contest. Both of these would depend on which side the children chose, as it would be impossible not to include them in the fight."

She was greeted by silence, one that made her slightly uncomfortable so she turned to Cassie. "How did the argument start?"

"Lets not start it again." Janet pleaded, collapsing on the sofa.

Daniel sat down next to her, looking straight at Emma with an interest usually reserved only for his artefacts. "How did you and Cassie meet?"

"That's a very good question," Jack agreed, leaning against the wall.

"We've got the same lessons in school." The girls grinned at each other.

Sam watched in silence as they continued to chat, happy at how easily Emma had fit into the group, yet terrified that one of them would spot the resemblance between them and work out the true nature of their relationship.

Jack caught her eye, raising an eyebrow to ask her whether she was ok. She nodded her head, feeling bad for lying to him, the ring she had hidden in her pocket a reminder that she would have to tell him at least.


	2. Mum's House

Title: Past into Present - Part 2

Author: Secret Art

Date: 8th August 2004

Rating: PG

Category: romance, not quite angst more like very emotional

Pairings: Sam/Jack,

Spoilers: knowledge of who Cassie is,

Summary: Sam has to decide whether she can risk telling her biggest secret.

Archive: where ever you want, I'm not fussy

Feedback: can only make me better

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author.

Author's note: This started off heading in one direction then seemed to change all of its own accord. Hopefully it still makes sense and is ok. It's not quite angst, it's just not the happiest fic either, if anyone can describe it let me know.

Sam walked down a corridor of the SGC, her mind preoccupied with Emma.

It had been a week since the get together, and at first they had asked questions, wanting to know the details about how she knew Cassie's new friend but Sam had changed the subject every time and it hadn't taken them long to stop asking.

She hadn't yet managed to sum up enough courage to tell Jack the truth, and she knew their relationship was suffering, he still wanted to tell everyone about their engagement.

Pausing outside her lab, she could hear movement inside and entering found Jack, busy taking apart one of her pens.

"Morning Colonel."

"Carter."

She walked past him, switching on machines, trying not to feel uncomfortable under his piercing stare. "Sam, I know something is going on, I just wish you'd tell what."

She stopped, sitting down in her chair. "I wish I could."

"Why can't you?"

"I'm afraid. I know, your going to ask me what of. I'm afraid that if I tell you, you won't understand, it'll change how we get along, and most of all I'm afraid that if I tell you, that we will never get married."

He stared at her, not sure whether to be afraid or angry that she was keeping something from him, something that she considered very important.

"Sam, please tell me, let me worry about how I'll react."

She sighed, smiling slightly. Standing up she kissed him briefly on the cheek, the most amount of affection they could show whilst keeping up the act of being friends. "I will, I promise, but there is something I have to sort out first. I've got a day off tomorrow and I promise you, by tomorrow evening I will have told you everything, well, as much as you need to know. Is that ok?"

He smiled, grabbing her hand and gently squeezing it before moving to the doorway. "I trust you."

-----------------------------------------

Taking a deep breath Sam picked up the phone, dialling Emma's mobile.

"Hello?"

"Hi Emma, it's me."

"Sam, what's up?"

"Nothing much. I just thought that seeing as we've met up so to speak, I thought we should spend some time together."

"Who do you want to tell?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know you, well I don't know you, but I know what you're like. You want to tell someone the truth but want to make sure it's ok with me first."

"Emma please, I don't want to do this over the phone."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, in which Sam considered holding her breath, not sure if the tentative relationship they had begun to build had already been damaged.

"Ok, when?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing important. How about I come over to yours?"

"Ok, 7 o'clock?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye."

"Bye."

Sam slowly put the phone down, her hands shaking.

Her and Emma had never really been close, Sam only able to visit during holidays whenever she could, enough so that Emma knew about her, but not enough so that they knew each other well.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, she wondered if there was anything edible in her house.

Opening the fridge she realised that there wasn't, so she tried to remember what Emma liked, memories of the few meals she had shared with her daughter not helping her much.

Laughing to herself, she realised that she was overreacting, that she should treat Emma like a friend or a friend's daughter, as that was all she could treat her as, Sam having given up the option of mentally being Emma's mother a long time ago, no matter what was biologically true.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of those thoughts, Sam busied herself getting herself and her house presentable, like she would do with any other guest.

-------------------------------------------

Hearing a knock on the door Sam took another deep breath, her nerves even worse than during the phone call.

"Hi Emma, you look nice, come in."

Emma smiled at the older woman, amused at her nerves.

Surprised at how easy she was finding it, being in her real mother's house, Emma slowly looked around, taking her time looking at all the pictures, smiling at the ones of the group she had met at Cassie's house. She was surprised to find a few of her, with her family though, not alone, although she understood, as pictures of her alone might raise unwanted questions, especially as, as far as everyone else was concerned, they weren't even related.

One picture in particular grabbed her attention. Picking it up she saw that it was of Sam and a man, one she recognised from Cassie's. They were stood together, laughing at someone off camera, but it was something less obvious that had made her interested. Their hands were behind their backs, and from how close together they were stood, it appeared that they were holding hands.

"What are you doing?"

Emma jumped slightly, replacing the picture before turning around. "You two look good together."

She shrugged, her hand slipping into her pocket. "He's my boss."

"What's in your pocket?"

Sam froze, her fingers clasped tightly around the object in her pocket. She slowly took it out, silently holding her hand out in front of her, opening it to reveal the engagement ring.

"Wow! It's beautiful. I'm guessing this is the reason he was giving you looks all night at Cassie's, and the real reason why you invited me over."

"He knows something is going on. Doesn't know what yet, but I promised I'd explain it to him."

"It's not that difficult, I'm your daughter, you gave me away when I was a baby as you couldn't give me the life I deserved. We tried unsuccessfully to stay in contact, so it was a bit of a shock when I appeared as your friend's daughter's new best mate." She said it kindly, causing Sam to smile.

"Your mother brought you up incredibly well. Your dealing with it a lot better than most people would."

She shrugged. "There is nothing to deal with. I've always known the truth, that I was adopted, that you are my real mother. I've had it a lot easier than most adopted kids. They can spend their whole lives trying to find their real mother, where as mine has always been only a phone call away."

They shared a smile, Sam finally starting to relax. "So, what kind of takeaway do you want?"

"Pizza?"

"Sure."

They waited in silence for the pizza to arrive, Sam watching as Emma continued to look at the photographs.

Getting the pizza they ate in silence, Sam staring at Emma, trying to commit everything to memory, knowing that it could be years before they see each other again, it must have been three years since she had last seen her daughter.

"Worked out what you're going to tell him yet?"

Sam laughed slightly. "I've got no idea. What do you think I should tell him?"

Emma looked away, lost in thought for a few seconds before turning back. "If you tell him the truth he's probably going to have a lot of questions. I was trying to remember the reaction of the last person that we told, or my own reaction, but I've known for as long as I can remember, my questions answered as soon as I asked them; and I don't think we've told anyone in years. You're worried that if you tell him, it will change your relationship."

Sam smiled. "You are way too observant. To be honest I don't know if he will be able to deal with it. He had a son who died in an accident, it still affects him. I don't think he'd be able or want to understand how I could give you up." She took a deep breath, trying to halt the tears that were threatening to fall. "I guess I'm scared that he'll think that if I could do that to you, that I'll do it to any children we'll have in the future." She wiped at the tears that escaped, taking another deep breath to try and calm herself. "I've just realised, that's going to be so hard on you as well. If I have more children and keep them, it'll make you feel something, because I got rid of you but not them. I might loose any chance of seeing you again."

Emma moved around to hug the older woman, her own tears falling silently. "Yes, I might find it hard, but I never want to loose what we have. And it might hurt but I understand why you did what you did, and I know how much you care about me. Just that fact that you were willing to do this, find out how I feel about you telling him the truth shows me that."

They held each other, waiting for both to calm down before separating.

"I got the best deal anyway, I have two mums, both of whom love me."

"And they did an amazing job of bringing you up, I couldn't be prouder." She smiled, and Emma grinned back, blushing slightly.

"I don't want to sound depressing or anything, but is there anything fun to do in this house?"

"The cupboard over there, it's full of games. I started buying them when Cassie first arrived, as she used to stay over a lot. Now they're mainly used when people get a bit drunk, but they should be all right."

Emma laughed, opening the cupboard to find that the games were stacked up, some neatly, others looking like they had been thrown in there.

She turned her head. "Do you have a chess set?"

Sam raised an eyebrow, lifting out a box from the top shelf.

"What?"

Sam grinned. "Chess is one of Cassie's favourite games."

"I know, we play it all the time." She picked up the lid, "The Simpson's?"

Sam blushed slightly, grabbing the lid back. "It was a present."

"Oh, off that guy, Jack I think his name is."

"he's a big Simpson's fan."

Emma nodded. "That does explain why he mentioned them so much. Any other little quirks I should know about?"

"The Wizard of Oz."

"Really? And Murray, oh and by the way I know that that isn't his real name, he seems to have a thing about Star Wars."

They laughed, playing chess and chatting, content to leave their problems till later, enjoying their time together whilst it lasted.


	3. The Lab Rat

Sam cleared away the chess set feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't sorted out what she was going to tell Jack.

Emma had left about half an hour ago, neither of them willing to start the discussion.

Lifting up the lid, Sam was surprised to find a note underneath, addressed to her in Emma's handwriting.

_Hey Sam_

_Your busy cleaning up after dinner so I thought I should take the time to write this._

_I know we're not going t discus it anymore, you probably do too so I'm going to write down what I think, it's probably the easiest way._

_You've said that your going to have to tell him something, and lying to him ill only create more problems in the future._

_If you do decide to tell him the truth, would you let me know, as I think if we're going to start telling people then I should probably explain it to Cassie._

_We could always invite everyone over (by that I mean Cassie, Janet, Jack, Daniel and Murray - what is his real name anyway?)_

_Sounds like you're coming back so I'll finish it here, contact me when you've decided what to do._

_Love_

_Emma_

Sam carefully folded the note up, placing it safely in a drawer, smiling to herself, surprised at how perceptive Emma was and amazed at how perfect her advice seemed to be.

Finishing the tidying up, Sam let her mind wander, considering her options.

She could just tell Jack, trusting him to keep her secret, but she knew that it wouldn't be fair on him, as he'd have no one to talk to about it.

She could let Emma tell Cassie, but she knew that Cassie would never be able to keep it a secret, and then everyone would be annoyed that she hadn't been brave enough to tell them herself.

She could tell no-one, make up something to satisfy Jack, but then she would have two problems, hiding the truth about Emma and the lie.

She could follow Emma's advice and tell all of them, but she knew that she wouldn't have time to explain before they all jumped to conclusions and asked her questions.

She sighed, picking the note back up, turning it over in her hands, waiting for it to hit her.

She looked down at the note, a smile on her face, she could write them letters. Emma had written the note as she knew they'd never discuss it, and it would allow her to explain herself, briefly at least, before questions were asked.

Grabbing a pen and some paper she sat down, knowing that she would have to write individual letters for each person, as they would all need different amounts of information in order to process what they were reading.

-------------------------------

Folding up the last letter she sighed, knowing that nothing was ever going to be the same again, and that she would have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow.

Labelling the letters, she placed them carefully in her bag, ready for her to deliver once she got to the base.

Picking up the phone she dialled Jack's number, knowing that he would be home.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." She didn't bother with her name, he'd recognise her voice anyway and it made it harder for anyone listening in.

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better." There was silence at the other end of the line, and she knew that he wanted more, but found herself unable to do anything but fiddle with the phone wire.

She heard him sigh. "Your not going to tell me are you?"

"I don't know how to."

"ok, meet me in my office tomorrow and we'll try and sort something out."

"Thank you."

She hung up, slowly putting the phone down, knowing that they would have a lot to sort out once he'd read the letter.

-------------------------------

Jack strolled into his office, purposefully refusing to look at his ever increasing pile of unreda reports and memos.

Moving to sit in his chair he froze as he spotted the piece of paper on it, his name on the front in her handwriting.

Picking up the letter he sat down, turning it over and over in his hands before finally opening it.

_Dear Jack_

_I know I promised that I'd talk to you, explain everything but I know I'd never find the words so I'm trying it this way._

_I don't know if you've figured out when all this started but it was at Janet's._

_I think a part of you may have figured this out by now, but Emma isn't just a family friend._

_I won't go into detail, as that is for another time, so the simplest way of saying it is to just come out and say it I suppose._

_Emma's my daughter. I know this is probably a bit of a shock, but I'll try and explain._

_I was young, thought I was in love. He of course left as soon as I found out I was pregnant. To be honest the rest is a bit fuzzy, but the basics are I had a baby gir, knew that I couldn't look after her and still have the life I wanted so I went to one of my mum's old friends, a couple that couldn't have children. They took her in, gave her the life I couldn't._

_I know you have questions, lots and lots of questions and I will try to answer them, but you need time to sort this out before then, so I'll come by and see you in a bit._

_All my love_

_Sam_

He re-read the letter, then read it again, unable to process what his eyes were telling him, that Emma was Sam's daughter.

The more he thought about it the more he understood, why it had been so easy to talk to her at Janet's, why Sam wouldn't stand near her in case anyone spotted the resemblance.

He folded the letter up and he would have collapsed into a chair had he not already have been in one.

Rubbing his hand across his face, his mind raced, questions popping up everywhere. Who else knew? Why wait so long to mention it? What does it mean for us? Who's the father?

He laughed, the last one was none of his business but he was intrigued never the less.

He picked up the phone, dialling her lab, knowing that she'd be in there, pretending to work, wondering how long to wait before trying to see him.

"Hello?"

"Hey Carter."

"Sir?" She sounded apprehensive so he chose his words carefully, enough to tell her how he felt yet confuse anyone listening in.

"I'm ok with it."

"You are." He could feel her relax, even over the phone.

"Yeah, but there is one thing, who else knows?"

She laughed. "Not quite what I was expecting."

"That's not a question for now."

"Well no-one is the simple answer. I'm planning on telling the others the same way I told you, I just wanted to see how you took it first."

"What, so I'm your lab rat?" He tried to sound annoyed but couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Would I do something like that?" She joked before her voices changed, becoming softer, less sure. "But we're ok?"

"We're ok." He confirmed, smiling at her, knowing that she couldn't see him but knew anyway and was smiling back.


	4. Informing the Doctor

Sam smiled to herself, amazed at how well Jack had taken her news.

She pulled out the rest of the letters, hoping that the others would understand as easily.

She paused, suddenly realising that Emma had a right to know what she was up to. Picking up the phone she called her, hoping that it wasn't a bad time.

"Hello?"

"Hey Emma, it's me."

"Oh, hey Sam, how's it going?"

"It's ok. I've decided to tell them. Thought I should tell you so that you can tell Cassie."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yeah, oh and I'm inviting everyone over tonight, 7pm, if you want to come along your welcome."

"Ok, I will, bye."

"Bye."

She put the phone down, trying to imagine how Cassie would take the news, probably very well.

She grabbed the letters, heading first for Janet's office.

Sam sighed in relief when she found it empty, not willing to answer any questions yet. She placed the letter carefully on the desk, slipping back out silently, hoping that no one had seen her.

Next she went to Daniel's lab, freezing as she hears voices inside. Continuing down the corridor she grabbed the first SF that she saw, ordering him to deliver the letter to Daniel.

She had thought about getting SF's to deliver all the letters, but she didn't want to risk one getting into the wrong hands.

She watched the SF, waiting until he had entered Daniel's lab before setting off towards Teal'c's quarters.

She walked past his door twice, double-checking that he wasn't in, although she already knew he was in the gym.

Quickly opening the door she placed the letter on his table before running out, closing the door quietly and creeping down the corridor to the elevator.

She took a deep breath, knocking on Jack's office door, hoping that he hadn't left to find her.

"Enter."

She opened the door, kicking it shut as she stuffed her hands in her pockets so that he couldn't see them shaking.

"Carter!" He closed the report he had been flicking through, indicating for her to sit down opposite him.

"So, how's it going?" He asked, forcing himself to remember that they were at work.

"I find out soon." She looked down before looking back at him, raising an eyebrow at his grin.

"You're hiding." He laughed as she shook her head in amusement, knowing that he was half-right.

"Never! I just wanted to make sure things were ok."

His smile faded slightly. "I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fine...at least for the next few minutes anyway...which means you can relax."

She smiled softly, knowing that this was the real reason she came. She needed him to take away her fears, to make her feel safe.

"Actually, whilst you're here you might as well help me sort out these reports, you should see how long some of the words are."

She laughed, reaching out for a report as he did, their hands brushing slightly, causing their eyes to dart towards the other.

He held her stare, showing her what she needed to know. She nodded, leaning back in the chair and opening the report.

---------------------------------

Janet collapsed into her chair, exhausted after spending the last few hours treating SG-13 after their last mission. There hadn't been any life threatening injuries, just more broken bones, sprains, gashes, cuts and bruises than she had seen in the whole of the previous week.

Scanning the desk she spotted a folded piece of paper, her name written on it in Sam's handwriting.

She picked up the note, opening it slowly.

_Hey Janet_

_Before I start, we are at work, so no yelling, screaming or any sort of mentioning please._

_I'll keep this brief, you'll make me tell you everything later so I might just stick to the basics._

_Emma is my daughter._

_You always wanted to know what the biggest skeleton in my closest was, this would be it...Now I want yours!_

_I would write out a mini-version of what happened, but you know me so well that you've probably figured it out...If not it gives us something to talk about for our next girls night in._

_Oh, and don't worry about having to tell Cassie, Emma is probably doing it as your reading this._

_Don't think there is anything else..._

_Love_

_Sam_

..._Oh yeah, Jack asked me to marry him...and I said yes!_

_P.S My house, tonight, 7PM, all will be explained_

She jumped out of her seat, almost bouncing down the corridor, a grin on her face, the letter still in her hand.

Finding the lab empty she frowned slightly, before heading towards Colonel O'Neill's office, knowing that that is where Sam would hide.

Pausing outside his door she put her 'doctor' face on, hiding the letter behind her back.

Knocking on the door she waited for the "enter" before calmly walking into the office.

She bit her lip to stop her from laughing as she surveyed the room, Sam and Jack sat on the floor in the middle of the room, reports and pieces of paper creating a sea around them.

Sam looked up from the report she was reading, freezing as she spotted Janet stood in the doorway.

Janet slowly stepped through the sea of paper, the tension in the room almost unbearable.

Standing in front of Sam, she waited for the Major to look up before grinning and swatting her on the head with the letter.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Sam laughed, Janet's amused yet annoyed expression making her look slightly crazy.

"Which bit?"

Janet glanced over at Jack, who was trying to hide his grin behind a report, before looking back at Sam.

"Both!" She pointed a finger at her accusingly. "I better get all the details tonight or there will be trouble."

Sam did a quick salute. "Yes ma'am."

They grinned at each other, Janet sighing and then slowly making her way back out of the office, suddenly finding the prospect of writing her medical reports on SG-13 not so awful.


	5. Daniel's Past

Daniel looked up as a SF knocked on the door, nervously glancing between him and someone in the corridor.

The SF stepped inside, holding out a folded letter. "It's from Major Carter, she asked me to give it to you."

"Thanks." Daniel took the letter, waiting for the SF to leave before examining it, wondering why she hadn't delivered it herself.

Leaning back in his chair he opened the letter, slowly reading and digesting what she had written.

Daniel 

_I know you picked up on my odd behaviour at Janet's house and I thought it was only fair that I try and explain why I was acting that way._

_I'm hoping that you will be able to understand what made me do what I did, I just hope this won't affect you too much. Emma is my biological daughter; she was adopted as a baby as I was too young to give her the care she needed. We hadn't been in touch for a few years but she's always known the truth. _

_I know this will be hard for you to accept. I'm holding a meeting at my house, tonight at 7pm to try and help you all understand it, and ask any questions that you want answering. _

_I hope you will come_

_Sam_

He read it and re-read it, the bluntness of the words at first insulting him but he realised that she was nervous and it was a subject that he was affected by.

His head swam with questions, his concern for Sam, own past experiences and memories of Emma all jumbling together.

Jumping out of his chair he left his lab, the translation on his desk forgotten, he needed to talk to someone about this.

He walked into the elevator, intending to go see Sam but instead finding himself outside the infirmary.

He stood there, undecided as to whether it was something he could talk about with Janet, she was Sam's best friend so would have been told already but he wasn't sure he was ready to discuss his own adoption with her yet.

"She's not here Doctor Jackson."

He turned towards the voice, finding one of the nurses staring at him with a smile.

"She ran out of here a few minutes ago, didn't say where she was going or when she'd be back."

He nodded, smiling his thanks before heading back the way he came, images of her bouncing to see Sam making him laugh.

Re-entering the elevator he found that it already had an occupant.

"Hey Teal'c."

The Jaffa nodded towards him. "Daniel Jackson."

"Where are you going?"

"I am in search of Major Carter, I returned to my room after a work out to find a letter from her."

Daniel waved his. "I got one too. Bit of a shock to find out the truth."

"Indeed, although it does explain the similarities between the two women."

Daniel nodded, trying to picture the two of them in his mind, looking for common features.

"Where are you headed Daniel Jackson?"

"I was going to go see Sam but ended up outside Janet's office. She wasn't in so I was going…I'm not sure to be honest. I was just looking for someone I could talk to."

"I am available if you wish to talk."

Daniel looked up at Teal'c, smiling slightly, "I think I'd like that, thanks."

The Jaffa nodded, waiting in silence for the doors to open before leading the way to his quarters.

"I thought you wanted to see Sam?"

"I too only wished for someone to discuss this with. I will see Major Carter tonight, any questions I have can wait until then."

They entered his room, Daniel waiting for Teal'c to light his numerous candles before finding a spot on the floor to sit on.

"What is it you wished to discuss?"

"What do you know about adoption Teal'c?"

"It is a subject popular with the chat shows I have seen. It is when a child is brought up by parents that are not its biological ones, often without the child's knowledge. However when it reaches a suitable age the child is told and often wishes to seek out its original parents, with mixed results."

"I was adopted."

"I am aware."

"What did Sam tell you in your letter? In mine she said that Emma had always known the truth, which I'm not sure I agree with. Would you really want to be brought up knowing that?"

"Would it not be worse to find out at a later stage? Emma has never been without her biological mother, she simply had two, she does not have to worry about whether her mother wanted her or not."

Daniel nodded, "that's true." He blushed as his stomach rumbled. "Do you want to grab something to eat before we go round to Sam's? I've not had anything in a while."

"Indeed, I too am in need of nutrition."

Daniel smiled. "An all you can eat buffet it is then."


	6. Replacement Daughter

Emma knocked on the door to Cassie's room, poking her head round when she didn't get a response.

"I'll do my chores in a minute mum."

"Such a good little girl." Emma giggled as Cassie's head shot around to where she was stood, a grin forming on her face.

"Emma!" her expression suddenly looked concerned. "Is something wrong? I don't remember us arranging to meet up."

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. Your mum let me in. I need to talk to you." She shuffled uncomfortably, knowing she should be happy she could finally reveal her secret to her best friend, but she was too nervous to feel anything else.

Cassie sat up, concern etched on her face. "What is it?"

"Can I sit down?"

She nodded, indicating to the edge of the bed. Emma moved into the room, closing the door behind her before sitting next to her friend.

"I wanted to be the one to explain it, to tell you. I didn't want you to find out like everyone else, or later tonight and I couldn't keep it a secret any longer."

"Just tell me what it is."

"Sam's my mother."

Cassie burst out laughing, quickly sobering when she saw Emma's sombre expression.

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

She moved to mimic Emma's position, staring down at her hands, trying to grasp the concept. "But how? I mean, I know how…Why didn't we know?"

"I was adopted as a baby. Sam was about our age, too young to look after me. She was always around though, as a friend, a big sister of sorts. She'd take me to the fair, to see movies, would come round and play with me. I've always known she was related to me, a mother of sorts, but it wasn't until I was older that they explained to me what that meant."

"What about your father? Your real one I mean."

Emma shrugged. "I never knew him. Sam never talks about him. I asked once but she seemed rather upset by it so I never asked again."

"You weren't curious?"

"I have a Dad, a wonderful one. There's a reason Sam hasn't told me about my biological one, and it has to be that I wouldn't want to know so I'm better off not knowing."

Cassie didn't look convinced. "Do you really not want to know or are you making yourself believe that as you don't think you can find out?"

"It doesn't matter. Can we please not talk about him anymore."

She sighed, realising that she had pushed too far. "I'm sorry, it's just a hard thing to grasp."

"I know. Sam told the others in letters, your mum showed me hers. I didn't think that would be the best way to tell you."

"Mum knows?"

"Yep, and Jack, Daniel and Murray or whatever his name is."

Cassie smiled. "His name is Teal'c. But don't tell anyone I told you."

"I promise. Oh, and Sam's having a get together tonight at hers, give everyone a chance to discuss and ask questions. Want to go?"

She didn't reply, moving to stare out of the window. "I'll think about it."

"Cassie?"

"I'm fine. I just need a little time alone. Thanks for coming to see me, I'll see you tonight."

Emma nodded, hurt by the abrupt change in her friend's mood. "Bye."

Cassie waited until the door closed before bursting into tears.

A few minutes later someone knocked on her door, not waiting for a response before entering. "Cassie?"

She didn't turn round. "Hey mum."

"What's up?"

She sighed, knowing that Janet could see right through her act. "It's nothing."

She heard Janet move towards her and turned to face her, finding herself wrapped in loving arms. "Is it something Emma said?"

Cassie nodded, separating herself from her mother and sitting on the edge of the bed. Janet moved to sit next to her. "It's just such a shock, finding out about Sam and Emma."

"I know. But it's a good thing right?"

"I suppose. But what if they go away together? Or do something together and forget about me?"

"Oh sweetheart." Janet pulled her closer, placing her arm around her. "I promise you're not going to lose Sam or Emma. I won't let it happen. Sam loves you as a daughter, she would never stop seeing you."

"But she has her real daughter now, she doesn't need a replacement."

"Look at me," Janet gently moved Cassie's face around to face her, wiping away at a tear that fell. "Sam never thought of you as a replacement daughter, I didn't need to know about Emma to know that. She thinks of you as a real daughter, as real as Emma. It may be hard at first, it's going to take us all time to adjust to this but the fact Emma came to see you, to tell you herself, shows how much she cares for you and wants you involved."

Cassie smiled slightly, realising the truth behind her mother's words. "Thanks mum."

Janet kissed her on the forehead before standing, walking to the door. "Are you going to come to the get together tonight?"

"Definitely."

Janet smiled, silently promising that she'd make sure her daughter didn't get hurt, even if it meant breaking out the big needles.


	7. A Family Gathering

Sam sat down on one of the chairs she had laid out, looking over the room. She had set out enough chairs for everyone that was coming, adding snacks and drinks onto the table in the middle; she wanted everyone to feel comfortable and relaxed.

She jumped as the doorbell rang, her heart pounding as she answered it, relieved to find that it was Emma.

"Hey Sam."

"Hey, come in. I thought you were one of the guys arriving early to interrogate me before hand." She joked, trying to relieve the tension.

Emma smiled politely, walking past Sam and into the house. She sat herself down on one of the chairs, nervously playing with the hem of her coat.

Sam watched her, leaning against the wall. "What's wrong?"

Emma looked up at her, sighing quietly. "I think Cassie was really upset when I told her. She didn't say anything but it was clear from the way she acted. I don't think she ever wants to talk to me again."

Sam shook her head. "I don't believe that. She was probably just shocked. Janet will have talked to her about it, sorted everything out, Janet's good at doing that."

Emma didn't look convinced. Sam was about to try again when the doorbell rang, both heads shooting to face the door.

"They're here." Sam whispered, slowly moving to open it, thankful that the truth could finally be revealed but terrified of what it would result in. Plastering a smile on her face she opened the door. She was slightly surprised to see them all at the door at the same time, but recovered quickly and waved a hand to invite them in.

She watched them pass, heard them greet Emma, waiting until everything had quietened before closing the door and following them, taking deep breaths to try and steady herself.

She relaxed almost instantly as she saw Cassie putting her arms round Emma, pulling her into a friendly hug.

"I'm sorry I reacted so badly, it was just a lot to take in."

Emma smiled, hugging her friend back. "It's ok."

Sam walked over to them, placing her arms around both of them. "My two beautiful girls." They both smiled at her before detaching from each other, Cassie moving to sit next to Janet as Emma and Sam took the few steps require to place them at the front of the room.

"So," Sam started, looking over the people gathered before her. Jack was smirking slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes, giving her the strength she needed to carry on. Teal'c was sat next to him, his face unexpressive as always, but not unreadable, she could clearly see calm acceptance in his features. Janet and Daniel were sat together, his arm resting on her shoulder as they both looked towards her. Cassie was sat at their feet, playing with the laces on Daniel's shoes as she waited to see what would happen.

"We have a new member of the family," Jack finished for her, grinning at Emma.

"Yep, you now have a new Aunt and three very protective uncles," Cassie added.

Emma looked at them in shock, blushing slightly. "But you've only just met me."

"You're Sam's daughter, which instantly makes you one of the family. And we all loved you even before we knew that, you made one hell of an impression at my house." Janet stood up, wrapping the girl in a hug. "That's if you want us."

Emma nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "I'd love that."

"Now that's sorted can we have a party to celebrate?" Daniel asked.

"Only if that's not the only thing we're celebrating." Jack commented, winking at Sam, who had slowly been relaxing. She tensed up instantly, shaking her head.

Cassie watched the exchange, laughing quietly. "If this is about the fact you guys have got together that's old news."

The both turned to her, looking slightly shocked. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Indeed, it was an easy change to recognise."

"Oh."

They shared a look, both relaxing, Jack with a slightly evil glint in his eye. "Does this mean that you don't want to be a bridesmaid?"

Cassie froze mid laugh, taking a few seconds to understand what he had just said. "Seriously?"

"With the help of Janet and Emma of course." Sam smiled, feeling the weight of all the secrets lifting off her shoulders. Looking at the people around her, her family and her friends, she felt complete. The sound of the phone ringing dragged her back to reality and she excused herself to answer it.

Jack watched her leave, his joy turning to worry when she didn't reappear. Following the route she took he stood outside the room, eavesdropping on her conversation.

"I'm not sure I understand why you're telling me this General….He did? That's odd. What's his name?…" He heard her gasp, the phone dropping to the floor. Rushing in he found her shaking, her hand over her mouth trying to fight back the sobs that were threatening to consume her.

"Sam? What happened?"

She shook her head, unable to voice it. He pulled her into a hug, whispering softly into her ear to try and calm her.

"That was General Hammond on the phone?"

She nodded, slowly regaining control of her breathing. "He was telling me about some of the new recruits to the SGC, one of them…he'd said that he known me years ago and couldn't wait to see me again…When the General told me who it was...I guess I overreacted." She pulled away from him, looking down at the floor as she picked up the phone and placed it back in its charger.

Reaching out to her, he took her hand in his, forcing her to look at him. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

She smiled weakly at him, checking that no one was outside the door before moving them to the other side of the room. "The new recruit, the one that knew me, he's…he's Emma's father."

TBC


End file.
